Sweet Clay Vengeance
by StylishRapo
Summary: Ickybod Clay is nearly on the verge of losing his head after the incident with Hoppy. He remembers that he's only working for the Doctor to spare his life, as well as to be able to return to Muddville. He would've gladly decided to change sides if not for a certain henchman. When an old friend wanders to his Graveyard, Icky finds that the Candyman is bitter about the Clown, too.
1. 1-3

_**Sweet Clay Vengeance  
**__Written by StylishRapo  
__(Formerly Antgirl1)_

_**1/3**_

Icky managed to float his way to the various graves of the Ghastly Graveyard, being mindful to not be seen. Looking upon the Muddville Mansion before him, he couldn't help but feel all the more forlorn. Loneliness gripped his very soul as he sat on top of a headstone, those stone objects and the everbound fog being his only company now.

With the strange disappearance of High Five, Ickybod Clay was the only resident of this place now, after all.

He remembered events further in the past, each one making him dreadfully emotional. _High rebelled and escaped, which was how we met; Lady Liberty ditched us soon after she was made, then soonafter came my 'employment'; and... I'll never forget what just happened to Hoppy. He was so frightened, but for the wrongest of reasons. He'll never be the same..._

Through this chain of events, Icky had slowly begun to realize that this whole thing was more than what it seemed; so much darker than the night Icky would've been comfortable with. Yet, in exchange for doing his one job of scaring anyone who opposed Dr. Kiln off Claymodo Isle, the Doctor had promised his continual existence and one day, the return to Muddville.

It sounded easy enough at the time, but now...

_I just want things the way they used to be,_ He thought once more, his long, stick-like fingers cradling his head as his eyes shut tight, _Except that High gets to live with me this time. He's such a great friend, and a wonderful spooks partner. As for the other Muddville people... I shouldn't have been exiled! I never did anything wrong!_

Naturally, Icky would've easily decided to confront the Dr. Kiln and his baddies, basically tell them to screw off and then ditch them, like High and Libby had. However, there was one thing keeping him from doing so; someone among them that Icky feared most, and no, it wasn't the Doctor, Houngan, T-Hoppy (as he was called now) or even Lockjaw Pooch; all of those guys would easily be outspooked.

The one Icky feared most, out of all of them, was that dreaded clown. How ironic, since clowns were supposed to induce the polar opposite of fear; laughter. Icky wasn't afraid of clowns as a whole, nor of anything else as the self-proclaimed Master of Terror, but this one clown in particular was very unsettling. This wasn't just from a feeling, either; this was from recent experiences. In fact, his very loyalty was questioned by this clown, and his threats were... Dare he think, macabre.

In short, this clown wasn't sane in the least bit anymore. It seemed that he could only obtain joy through others' suffering nowadays. To prove this point, Icky briefly recalled the time when he saw the clown stuff an innocent's dead body into one of the many presents in Sumo Santa's toy factory.

At this, Icky promptly lifted his pumpkin head off his shoulders, shook it for a few moments before laying it upon his lap, in a means of distraction from that unwanted memory. Despite the expected dizziness, it was enough to clear his mind, reopening his eyes while his arms clutched his own head close to his torso. _I just want to go home..._

He would've continued that depressing thought, if not for his poltergeist senses kicking in, signaling that he was no longer alone.

_A mortal is nearby!_ Was his hasty thought as he nearly slammed his head back on, noting that the presence was too far yet to see him. _Why now, of all times? I'm not feeling up to another confrontation..._ As if his thoughts were completely ignored, the presence slowly grew stronger, and it wasn't long before the presence could be heard, from the sounds of footsteps on grass. Icky wanted to turn his head to see who it was drifting closer and closer to his location, but refrained, believing that it was what the trespasser wanted him to do.

Time continued to pass even when Icky kept still as the headstones around him, another sense kicking in - scent. While Icky could judge that the person was still a fairly large distance away, his keener senses could pick up the location and scent of an individual long before they would realize he was even there. The aroma in question was of an artificial lemon, confusing the poltergeist. At first, he figured it was just to lull him into a false sense of security, but as he dug deeper, he began to remember someone...

Someone who always smelled of lemon.

_Could it be? It HAS to be! _With that, all tense disappeared, Icky getting a wide, mischievous grin on his face. _But before a heartfelt reunion, I'll scare him good! How to do it... Oh, of course!_ He lifted one of his hands, watching as a glowing green ball of ectoplasm appeared and hovered over it, his fingers somehow keeping it from drifting away. He closed his eyes briefly, thinking in a small prayer. _Ethereal Plane, grant me the power I need to scare him out of his sockets!_

He opened his eyes once more, slowly sliding down the headstone in front of him, still holding the glowing ball in his hand, listening for a good moment to strike. _First, ignite his senses into overdrive from this one projectile... He'll immediately assume that where he's going is dangerous, so he'll become stressed and thus, more easily frightened!_

After this thought and a few last moments, he turned his body around, facing the source of all this commotion, and finally fired the ectoball into the trees, watching the glow signify its destination. An expected sound of surprise alerted Icky that the ploy was successful, so he decided to sink down into the grave, until he was completely beneath the earth. Once again using his enhanced sense of sight, he peered through the dirt, seeing the sky above. _Second, let him step over here, not seeing a single person, but knowing full well something is watching him, waiting for his right moment to strike... Not seeing anyone will make him even more tense, as well as the atmosphere of this place working in my favor._

He kept silent as his gaze followed the lemon-scented trespasser as he emerged from the trees, seeming confused about the ectoball before. Icky continued to watch, waiting as the lanky, yellow clay person scanned the surroundings tentatively, just as Icky had planned. After what felt like an eternity, both of the feet rested just above where Icky was hiding. Icky pressed down further, as to not cause confusion over the uneven grave. Not wasting another moment, Icky struck; unlike before when he sank under the earth, he allowed his arms to push through it in a solid manner, breaking through the layer of soil in an alarming way. However, Icky didn't even give the individual the chance to react as his hands then took hold of both his ankles. _Third, loudly pierce my hands out of the grave, just like a zombie, and grip those ankles tight... It will be at this point where he's realized he's in serious trouble, and can't run from it to boot!_

As Icky watched the trespasser realize his shackled ankles, he couldn't help but smirk from the way he tried to struggle, his well-known skills of long range and stretching being all but fruitless. "Let go, you stupid-! Pair of-!" Icky heard him cry out in irritation, rather than fear. He wanted to frown from this, but felt that he still needed to see the plan through to the end. He took a bit to gather his thoughts, still seeing the yellow clay person writhe stubbornly to break loose from the grip; however, since he was never all that strong, Icky had no trouble keeping him in place.

_You've got him on the ropes, Icky!_ He thought to himself once again, using this time to completely rotate his body so that it was upside down while still holding tightly to the ankles above him, _Finally, abruptly lift yourself out of the soil and into the air, taking him with you, then give a trademark scary yell of some kind... He'll be flipped over completely, his only hope of not falling being your hands, then forced to see your delightfully scary face. While that happens, the sudden noise and facial expression should make him quite literally freak out!_

Just like in his inner monologue, he put that last bit of the plan into action, rocketing himself out of the soil physically and high into the air, enough so that the one he gripped had no choice but to follow. As the disoriented trespasser became forced to dangle upside down, he was greeted with the face of Ickybod Clay. While somehow not losing his head, at the best possible moment did Icky unleash his terrifying howl upon his victim.

It was true that these events did startle the yellow clay person, too disoriented to recognize the face of his predator. Once the shock faded and he could see clearly again, he only blinked twice while Icky held his expression, before he spoke.

"Oh, hi Icky," He greeted with a small wave, only to feel surprise again when Icky promptly frowned and dropped him to the ground. "Ow!"

"Damn it, Taffy!" Icky raged, both fists raised to the sky in frustration, "What's it going to take to scare you? Icky swears to the Ethereal Plane, he thought he had you this time! Where did Icky go wrong...?" He lowered his arms in defeat, meanwhile Taffy didn't take long to recover, soon enough standing upright again, looking at the poltergeist above him.

"Well..." He shrugged casually, speaking as if this event had happened plenty of times before, "Ya almost had me there. But as soon as I saw ya, I wasn't scared of a darn thing. Familiar faces just kinda kill it for me."

"Mmm..." Icky replied, slowly drifting down until he was sitting upon the gravestone again, at Taffy's eyelevel, "Wonderful. The one job Icky has, and he won't be able to accomplish it... And he can't just let someone else chase you away, either; Icky doesn't trust what they'd do." When Taffy gave a look of confusion with a 'Huh?' noise, Icky looked down at the ground. "Dr. Kiln promised that Icky would be able to return to Muddville if he joined him, and all he had to do was scare everyone else away."

This time, Taffy's expression became sour as he crossed his arms. "Oh, goodie," He spoke in sarcasm, not liking what he'd heard just now the least bit, "Kiln's here too, and yer workin' for him. Man, I kinda expected better than that." His stance was soon after interrupted, his eyes widening from surprise when Icky had gotten off the headstone and gripped his shoulders.

"What else was Icky supposed to do?" He then said, sounding somewhat exasperated at this point, "Let the Doctor and his baddies chase him away from Claymodo too? Or even _worse_? Do you think he _really_ wants to be with them, especially now from what Icky's seen, witnessing what they've done?" When Taffy was too stunned to reply, Icky took the opportunity to continue. "All Icky wants is to come back to Muddville, and live in his Mansion with High Five; but _this_ is the only way...!"

Never in Taffy's rather short life did he ever see Icky so worked up over something, and he just swore that he could feel Icky's pointy, viney hands _shake_. Thus, he found himself having to pick his words carefully, as to not make the poltergeist even more emotional. "I don't wanna know what they've been doin'," Taffy began, though cautiously, "But it looks to me like ya should just... Run away and come with me and the others. I'll let ya in on a lil' secret, Icky..." He took this time to pause, his arms now uncrossed as he gave a genuine grin.

"Everyone in Muddville misses ya," Taffy began, hoping that it would ease Icky's tension, "Well, except King Tiny. Can't believe he made ya leave just 'cause he thought ya were 'weak', as well as his really sucky dietary changes drivin' everyone up the wall, but I digress. Point is, if ya came with us, I'm sure as sugar that we'd all welcome ya back-" He snapped his taffy fingers here, "-Just like that. Now, I've no idea who High Five is, but he's free to come along if he's that important to ya." Icky's posture seemed to droop, though felt a little more relaxed, finally removing his hands from Taffy's shoulders. "So, whaddya say, Icky?"

"That... Does help a lot," Icky couldn't help but to admit, but wasn't fully enthused, "And believe him, Icky would've a long time ago, but... There's someone on Kiln's side who's threatened to kill him should he rebel."

"But can't ya just beat them to a pulp?" Taffy immediately inquired, but realized his word choice and revised, "I mean, scare them to submission?"

"Again, Icky would've a long time ago," Icky looked away, already feeling shame creep through his being at what he was about to say next. "And in the past, it would've been easy, too. The problem is, nothing fazes him anymore, if he even has the capability to feel fear. He has, quite literally, gone insane. So Icky's scare tactics don't work. If anything, he's become scarier than even Icky, and he's... Icky's afraid of him, Taffy. The Master of Terror himself is AFRAID of someone! Pathetic, he knows..." As Icky had the conviction of total resignation and shame, his expression became one of distress as he plopped himself upon a wider headstone, and it pained Taffy to see a long-lost friend in this state, and not just because of how it made Icky directly feel, but something else.

The Master of Terror was afraid of someone, and this someone was also scarier than him; in retrospect, it caused Icky to feel worthless in what he used to believe was his best strength, while the other carried on being better and even intimidated Icky.

It was then that Taffy frowned deeply, more than a hint of anger rising in his candy heart. He approached and sat next to Icky on the headstone, his long taffy arm winding around the poltergeist's shoulders. This event didn't surprise Icky as much as the very next thing that came out of Taffy's mouth.

"I know that feelin'," He'd muttered, his tone sounding oddly bitter, "And I can't stand seein' ya like this, lookin' just like when I... Nevermind. Icky, who's ass do I gotta kick for this? Say the name, and we'll go put him in his place!" Just hearing Taffy speak like this made Icky more confidant, so at long last, a small grin appeared briefly on his pumpkin face, ready to mention the person responsible.

"Hm, Icky thinks you knew him, maybe..." Icky paused, while Taffy pulled his arm away, listening intently, "Bonker." The moment after that last word was uttered, he saw Taffy jump off the headstone, stomping his feet onto the ground.

"Oh, that son of a BITCH!"


	2. 2-3

_**2/3**_

"Ya didn't miss much," Taffy was explaining during their walk through the island, "It was so weird, thinkin' that ya simply left Muddville, and it was only later when we learned that King Tiny pretty much kicked ya out, which we all agreed was pure BS. Frosty and Blob were away before all that though, doin' some kinda 'Grandmaster of Muddville' tournament, even though it was more like 'Frosty goes through a rebellious phase' and 'Blob starts building Mount Mushmore'... Donno what the deal was with Oozeville or the newbies, but whatever."

"That means the meteor's goo... Spread?" Icky asked, quite surprised by this, "Icky thought it was contained in Clayland, by Blob! Until Dr. Kiln, that is..."

"Thinkin' 'bout that now," Taffy shrugged, "I'm not surprised it did. All we cared 'bout was takin' down N. Boss and bein' King of the Circus. But it's mainly Kiln's fault for lettin' it spread like that - that's where Nanaman, Goo Goo, Octohead, Hoppy and Kangoo came from, after all. Not to mention all those weirdo alter egos..." This was where he trailed off momentarily, noticing that they'd stumbled upon some kind of gorge. The gap was quite wide, to the point where Taffy was sure that even if he gave his all, he wouldn't make it across. "Are ya sure this is the way, Icky?"

In response, Icky nodded, before floating above Taffy, lowering his arms. "Icky's sure; it's a shortcut." Taffy got the message with a nod, lifting his arms to grasp Icky's. When lifted off the ground, as though effortlessly, he tucked his legs in, refraining from looking down as Icky flew the both of them across the gap.

"So, King Tiny was havin' issues of his own," He continued, though more in a way of distracting himself from being too high for comfort, "Especially when we figured out that you were exiled. Oh man, ya shoulda seen his face! With a bunch of angry ClayFighters gangin' up on him, he looked like he was gonna die of shock!" Only when solid ground came to greet him did Taffy extend his legs again, letting go of Icky once touching down with a relieved sigh. "But then he decided to be a major ass, sayin' that 'Oh, you want Ickybod back so bad? Good luck trying to find him!' Seriously, he thinks he all that and a bag of chips, King of the Circus position notwithstandin'!"

"Then what happened?" Icky inquired, thoroughly interested in the tale, "Also, we're almost there." Taffy nodded to acknowledge the last bit, before continuing.

"Let's just say that we 'took out the trash'," He couldn't help but smirk, "Clayland didn't really need a King anyway. As for why I keep callin' him King Tiny, I really don't know... Outta habit, maybe." Things were quiet for a little while as they neared a courtyard. Once they arrived, it was then that Icky had the courage to say something that he'd been thinking about for a while, ever since they'd started their journey.

"Taffy... May Icky ask something?"

"Yeah, Icky," Taffy paused with him, noticing his tone and turning serious. "You can ask anythin'." Icky thought for a few moments, hesitating, before beginning his question.

"You're different than how Icky remembers you," He said slowly, "He knows that you weren't always this way. Not only that, but from the way you reacted to hearing the name 'Bonker', it makes Icky wonder. Did... Something happen between you two?"

Taffy frowned from the question, unwanted memories beginning to arise from the back of his mind, unable to stop them from breaching the surface. _I knew that question would come eventually,_ He thought to himself warily, _But dammit, why'd I have to make it so obvious from the start? Even worse, Icky deserves to know; he knew me more than anyone else back then..._

"If you don't want to tell him, Icky understands," Icky spoke again, this time a little more cautious, his hands raised with a softer expression. Taffy seemed to return to reality, shaking his head with what was essentially a false smile.

"Whatcha mean, not tell ya?" Was his reply, giving a somewhat forced chuckle, "I don't have any problems with that. I mean, I think ya deserve to know, before this show's on the road." The two of them found some benches, sitting down on one. When he noticed that Icky wasn't fooled the least bit, Taffy found himself frowning again, the pain that he'd tried to push back rushing forward with no remorse. It was no use now; he was unable to hide these emotions any longer.

"Actually, I never told anyone the whole story," He began more quietly, his tone and words completely changed. "Because I just didn't feel comfortable in sharing that sort of thing with them; I didn't know anyone like I knew you. But to be honest, since you're here with me now... I think I'm finally ready to."

"Icky will listen," Icky replied softly, nodding for Taffy to resume.

"Well... Remember back at the Tournament, when I almost died?" Taffy started, Icky nodding somberly, "That terror I felt, the feeling of how fragile I really was when I was recovering, knowing that I could've actually... See, that event really shook me, and I think that's when everything began."

"It made me - both of us, really - realize that we never stood a chance as a ClayFighter," He continued on, using one of his hands to gingerly feel the faded scar on his chest, remembering the cold, snow hand that tore through it from behind, "Let alone King of the Circus. I felt ashamed at how naive and weak I was, and then what? For my almost death, following with how concerned you were over me, that damn wrestler still had the nerve to barge in to ask if I could face him in the Tournament. If I could go back to then from now, I'd give him a piece of my mind, but back then...? Then, you were exiled the same night he becomes King. So, with no one close enough left to talk to after being discharged, I simply shut myself in at the taffy factory. At the time, all I could ask myself was 'Am I just candy?'."

"To this day, I'm not sure how," He went on as he recalled those memories, "But at some point another thought came to mind: 'What am I doing? Icky wouldn't have wanted me to give up. I'll try for him; I'll try to do something useful and move on.' So, for the first time in who knew how long, I finally poked my head out of the taffy factory, the fresh air and sunshine making me even more motivated, and... Ever since the whole incident with N. Boss passed, everyone was surprisingly less violent towards each other, but that was probably just because there was new leadership keeping them in line."

"Instead, they were focusing on entertaining the Humans," He and Icky both envisioned these words into scenes at this point, "Like Playland used to before it was abandoned. They were used to it, but it'd been the very first time that I had ever seen a Human. And strangely enough, they were so alright with beings of Clay everywhere, that they didn't find me out of place. Eventually, I got ambitious enough to try new things, grew closer with a few newer friends, ended up becoming the best sideshow around, and for the very first time since we lost you, I was happy again. I felt like I was ready to finally move on. Though, as you can guess, that happiness didn't last."

"Some time later, that's when Bonker made his ambitious move," By this point, Taffy's expression slowly became more angry than upset by just the thought of mentioning him, "Before, he didn't seem to be around much, but then he did what I had - and unlike me, who had to try his best to get where he was, Bonker almost immediately got a following, and soon enough upstaged me entirely. What hurt the most wasn't just that he did it, but what he'd tell me. He'd say things like 'It only makes sense that I'm doing so well', 'We're all playing from our strengths, why're you different?', and the worst of all, the one thing that finally broke me..." Taffy had to pause, his hands by now gripping the bench underneath him and Icky. Meanwhile, Icky sat there, preparing for what was to come next.

Unfortunately, there was nothing that could've possibly been able to do so.

"'Don't you remember what candy's made for?'," Taffy started again once he felt calm enough to continue without losing his temper, but it quickly plummeted again as he continued, "'To be eaten, Taffy. To be eaten. The thought of you regarding other pieces of taffy as your family is simply delusional! They're just pieces of candy; they're not alive, they can't think or feel for themselves!' Could you even _believe_ that he said that to me, to my _face?_ I-It just- It made me so _MAD!_" He was forced to stop here as he got up abruptly, grabbed another nearby bench and flip-tossed it across the courtyard out of rage, while Icky could do nothing but sit silently with widened eyes. Only when Taffy fell to his knees did Icky approach, slowly and kept distance.

"But being mad was... A new thing for me," Taffy started once more, noticing the shadow of Icky nearby him, "And after storming off and anonymously wrecking up the funhouse he liked to take residence in so much, I found that it wasn't enough; I wanted to make him pay for upstagin' me in so little time, and for offendin' my beliefs so casually. Though, that wasn't quite what changed me, even then." Taffy got up, turning to Icky and somehow pulling something out that he had with him. "Remember this wrapper, Icky? That I was wrapped in?"

"Yes, but..." Icky spoke in reply, for the first time since the beginning of the story. Taffy approached Icky further, showing the wrapper to him.

"It really was like a birth certificate all along," Taffy said as the two of them examined it, "Sure, I knew back then that I was a glob of saltwater taffy, but when I looked closer after that..." He pointed to certain prints on the wrapper, just nearby the large, bold letters, "See it? 'Lemony', and down there? 'Sour!'. _That_ was what made me begin to change, and it was 'cause I embraced the sour lemon that I was all along; that part of me that lay dormant from being unknown... And _that_ was when I vowed to kick Bonker's ass! He'd see just what Lemony Saltwater Taffy could _really_ do!"

"Lemony...?" Icky echoed in somewhat confusion, somewhat humor, though he did his best to hide that aspect. In response, Taffy instantly lost his previous, determined mood; instead, it had changed into embarrassment, though slight.

"Ya see why I want everyone to call me 'Taffy'?" He sighed after asking this, before giving Icky a soft glare that showed seriousness as he put away the wrapper. "And don't even _think_ 'bout tellin' anyone 'bout that, 'kay?" Icky did the 'zipped mouth' cliche with a nod, before the two of them approached the entrance to the unknown building in the courtyard. However, instead of going ahead and attempting to open a theoretical door as a normal person would, Icky saw Taffy step back several yards. He was confused at first, before watching him charge, launching himself in the air with a small war cry and kicking through the doorway rug. The force wasn't enough to pull the rug off, but Taffy was surprised to find that there was no door to kick down. Icky looked on in disbelief as Taffy landed unharmed, turning to face him with a surprised expression.

"Uh, where's the door...?" His expression died when he saw Icky cross his arms, unamused. "What?"

"We were supposed to sneak in and not be heard by anyone..." Icky groaned his answer with a facepalm, muttering to himself, "Icky just hopes to the Ethereal Plane that no one's actually here." Taffy made a face to show realization in his mistake, while Icky floated inside with him.

"Whoops," Taffy couldn't help but say lightly, before having the chance of examining where they'd just entered. "Is this a... No way, it totally is! Oh Hell _YES!_" Taffy absolutely beamed at the sight before the two ClayFighters, and while Icky regained composure, he too noticed what Taffy meant with his excitement.

They had entered a candy factory, and of course Taffy would feel the way he would in a place like this, for he was in his element here.

"Yeah, that's right," Icky replied in remembrance, "The toy factory was literally a room over from here. Ironic, th- Where're you going?" When Icky had first noticed Taffy running off to somewhere unknown, he was quick to call out to him, but Taffy didn't stop in his pace, heading straight for a pair of double doors. Luckily, this time Taffy didn't try to tear the hinges off of those.

"Hang on a sec!" Icky heard him reply, vanishing into another room, "There's somethin' I gotta check, first!"

_What could he mean by that?_ Icky thought to himself, genuinely curious but at the same time, conflicted with tension, _Is his spillit sugar low or something? Was there a certain sweet he wants to find because it's rare, maybe? Or... Perhaps he has a more defined reason? But Taffy _is_ Taffy, after all; I just hope no one sees him..._

As Icky was wrapped in his thoughts, he barely noticed Taffy's return, until he felt his jack-o-lantern head being lightly poked. Once back to reality, Icky found that Taffy hadn't returned empty-handed; in fact, in one of his hands was what appeared to be a yellow revolver (probably made from taffy), and in the other...

A bag of pop rocks and a can of soda.

Icky could understand the revolver easily, as Taffy probably just needed some candy as ammunition; as for the pop rocks and soda can, however, he was completely lost. Taffy simply morphed away the revolver, now only holding the bag and can of sugary delights, noticing Icky's stupor. He couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that, to any other kind of ClayFighter or person, this combination of sweets was rather absurd for the task at hand.

"A Candy ClayFighter should _always_ have pop rocks and soda on hand," He explained vaguely, doing the same morph-away technique as before with the sweets, "Just in case there's... An emergency." Icky decided not to question him, instead leading him to a vent, while Taffy wasted no more time in getting inside.

"Remember what Icky told you?" Icky asked while watching Taffy climb through the vent's path with enhanced vision. Meanwhile, Taffy nodded from inside, knowing full well that Icky would see him do so. Afterward, Icky shifted his vision to an opposite door that led to the toy factory, of which Taffy was headed to. His tension was from the possibility of being heard, so it was a surprise that they never were, even when Icky could clearly see the figure of that damn clown in the other room. Just seeing him sent shivers down Icky's non-existent spine, and the past imagery that he couldn't stop from envisioning didn't improve things the least bit.

_Icky, you can do this,_ He thought to himself once again, noticing that Taffy was in position and steeling himself to phase through the door in front of him, _You're not even the one who's going to fight Bonker, after all; Taffy is! All you have to do is say some brave things, let Bonker flip his already crooked lid, and then have Taffy handle the rest! Easy, yes? _He paused in his thoughts, a horrible realization setting in and doubt beginning to root inside. _I'm being a coward, aren't I? The Master of Terror shouldn't ever have to rely on someone else when it comes to things like this. And... What if Bonker beats Taffy? Then what, Icky; then what?! This plan's a gamble, with two lives at stake!_

_Icky, get a hold of yerself!_ Icky gasped quietly when he heard this in his mind, before flushing in shame, realizing that his thoughts were broadcasted to Taffy, and in turn, heard the response. It was a strange sort of telepathy, but only usable when Icky began the conversation, and stops when he ends it. To think that he briefly lost control of that power made him feel unsettled, and even more tense.

_It's gonna be okay, _Icky heard Taffy continue, noticing that his tone was now more soothing compared to the previous statement, _I'm not the wimpy Taffy from the Tournament days anymore, who ran from fights like a pansy and needed protection. I've worked hard and trained for this day for a long time, and you've seen my potential from what I tried to do just earlier. So Icky, I must ask ya... To believe in me. But most importantly, believe in yerself, too. So just calm down, and we'll rip that assclown a new one!_

These words of comfort caused Icky to smile for the second time that day, it having been a very long time before then. With renewed energy and conviction, Icky floated to the door, phasing through it. As he did so, he recalled the way Taffy had worded things, noticing something that he initially thought was lost when he first reunited with him.

He realized that, even if Taffy was a sour lemon, he was still filled to the brim with the sweet, tender sugar.


	3. 2,5-3

_**2.5/3**_

Fifi, you're the only one who understands. You're the only one who gets it; sometimes, you get it more than I do, and that's weird. You never interrupt me, you never question me, and you never wonder if I'm really worth dealing with. I appreciate that you deal with me, Fifi. I wouldn't have it any other way.

No one else gets it; they don't understand. They see what I do and say as bad things, and nothing more. On one hand, I guess I get why they would; though, would it kill them to try digging deeper? Maybe their brains are too soft. Maybe they can't comprehend depth like I can. So instead, they merely throw fits and tantrums like the clay toddlers that we... Technically are, in age.

As you know, I'm the last of the few loyal soldiers for Dr. Kiln's plot to take over this planet.

I'm not sure why we even bothered trying to sustain High Five - I think he's just a waste of a minion, a body part, and time. A disembodied fist is just something to sneeze at, really. He's not a threat at all.

Lady Liberty and Hoppy had potential, but they both rebelled. We did manage to fix T-Hoppy, but Lady Liberty's long gone. A pity, because I was going to suspect that they were perfect for each other, as well as being perfect for this cause. They would've made quite the pair of lovers, as well as a devastating team.

Ickybod Clay said that he's doing this to go back to Muddville, but he's pretty damn weak-minded to think he'll just get that part of the bargain; that sort of thing you have to legitimately work to get yourself, not have it handed to you. He also seems to have this tendency to believe he's the "Master of Terror", and strives to be that way, but I beg to differ with his opposing attitude.

I'm somewhat impressed by Lockjaw Pooch's never-budging loyalty, but then again, he's just some mutt who was mutated by Dr. Kiln; we all know that dogs are loyal to the Man. It was because the Man manipulated those wolves into being their companions with countless generations of breeding. Actually, it's not impressive, because science's manipulation did it all.

I'm also pretty sure that Houngan wants to backstab Dr. Kiln for his own plans, but I don't really care who thinks who's in charge. In the end, it'll be me, and I know exactly how to get there. After all, I'm the true ringmaster around here; they're just too busy dealing with each other to notice what I plan to do. It'll be so easy.

Like taking candy from a baby.

... Fifi, that's not what I meant; I know you're toying with me with that remark. Don't mention him. He's the most idiotic one of all; more stupid than Tiny, even, if that's possible. There're the muscular dummies who think they're smart, then there's...

Ugh, I can't even say his name. His name alone spells the word "**MORON**", in big, bold letters. You have to squint your eyes and turn your head just right to see it. Fifi, you don't remember the story? Fine, I'll tell it, but only once, so pay attention... Who am I kidding, I know you will. You're such a good listener, and you're better than any mutt.

Actually, no, he's not the most idiotic, moreso than Tiny. He's not even stupid. You know that just the mention of him angers me, so false information comes out because of hateful emotions. ... It's not even hate, either. It's frustrated pity. Yes, those're the words of choice to best describe this.

It's said that he stayed hidden up until the whole Tournament thing happened after his little s'more fiasco, so we all assumed that he was probably long gone. In a strange twist of fate, he was actually hiding out in a not-so-far-off taffy factory, near the outskirts of Clayland. Since Ickybod was the only one close to him, it was clear that he knew where it was the whole time, but held out on the rest of us. They were practically inseparable; how quaint.

It was also said that he wanted in on this Tournament business in an attempt to become more daring and brave, maybe even sport the authority of King. Aha, in all of his introversion, he would've simply run away from even the slightest hints of a fight. Thus, he also had absolutely no combat experience, along with the perks to go with it. Sure, the same was true for me, but I still didn't go hermit in the Funhouse, now did I?

It showed; oh my _god_, did it show. I'm still baffled as to how he walked out of his first match alive; my jaw actually dropped when he was going to have another round in the Tournament. Oh well, it was apparent by then that he'd realized that he wasn't as weak as he always thought. He had a bit of a change in mindset, thinking that he could take down N. Boss if he did his best. Such admirable spirit, but it wasn't to last.

Basically, Tiny won against Blob, I won against Helga, he won against Blue Suede Goo, and Bad Mr. Frosty won against Ickybod. Round two would begin, with him vowing to win this thing for Ickybod's sake. I actually wonder what the outcome would've been if it was Tiny and Mr. Frosty fighting, leaving me with him. I would've crushed him, I believe; my old clown tricks of the time was said to "Bring other ClayFighters to their knees". Unfortunately, I lost to Tiny.

I remember the match between Mr. Frosty and him, and that Ickybod attended it like the rest of the freaks. I even remember telling Ickybod that deep down, I hoped that guy would win this Tournament. From what I was told, he had every good intention in mind, but of course I would be willing to lend a hand for advice and all. Since Ickybod lost his chance and I lost my chance, he was our last hope, but...

Even he didn't make it.

Mr. Frosty had done something to him that was an instant disqualification, and by technical standards, made the other the winner of the round. However, this something also made him completely unable to fight against Tiny. From my recollection, Tiny put him into a very stressful situation, in a matter of speaking. That is, deciding between attendance and forfeit.

Three days to make up his mind, all by Blob's rules; even if Blob himself wanted to make an exception. The smart decision he eventually came up with was to forfeit in favor of healing. Tiny only cared about the fact that he won by default, and ran off to fight N. Boss. I didn't know him very well aside from what Ickybod had told me, but even I cared more than Tiny did. He could've still been dying for all we know, and no good ever comes from nipping the bud.

I never asked around, so I assumed that he'd lost to that fatal wound, as we shortly after carried on with our lives in the Circus, with Tiny crowned King and Ickybod disappearing from Clayland. It was very unsettling, the way the entire mansion and graveyard was simply gone the next day. Ickybod may've been rather pugnacious, but he was really just trying to fit in, and he even allowed me to gain some form of self-worth; why did that have to be taken away?

God, Tiny was awful; the only reason we "loved" him was because he'd defeated N. Boss, so as far as we were concerned, he was just an arrogant muscle man. I can honestly say that out of all of us, I was the most fitted for the job; a clown is the closest to a Ringmaster as one could get, next to him. Since I lost to Tiny though, it only proved that I didn't try hard enough. Maybe I let my guard down.

For the second time in my life, my jaw dropped when I saw him again. He had a scar this time, showing both on his chest and back, an eternal reminder of the incident. It showed that he was depressed for the length of time he was seemingly deceased, but what he showed was a hint of determination, although he was not much different than in the Tournament. Same old... Him.

He'd tried new things, got comfortable around newer friends, and with a lot of work, became the best sideshow around. No one could resist him. His act was something all right, but something came to my mind; how much about his heritage did he really know? He was fully aware of the fate all candy falls into, yes? Indeed he did, but he deluded himself into believing that the rest of "his kind" was his family, and would never let anyone eat them, nor would he... That's sad. He didn't seem to understand that even his own type of candy was fated to be consumed before it went rotten, although with his sentience, he's spared from that. That'd be demented, otherwise.

He also didn't seem to understand that his vast knowledge of sweets could've led him to a possible true calling, in acting in his strength like the rest of us, instead of doing things where he had to push himself more than should be needed. I'm certain that they all knew it as much as I, but they never said or did anything about it; in fact, a few even encouraged his behavior and endeavors. Quite honestly, what we'd been making back then was simply disgusting, so I wanted to try nudging him in the right direction. Meaning, the road to becoming Candyman.

Though, thinking about it now, there were so many other, gentler ways to go about it; I certainly can't blame him for disliking me in the end. It should've been a slow, gradual process where he eventually makes the realization on his own. Instead, I rushed and blew it almost immediately. My mistake.

He saw my actions as a threat and aggression, and heard my words as verbal abuse and bullying. Eventually he simply up and left, much to the chagrin to the others toward me. You see, on top of my "bad", mischievous attitude and increasingly "psychotic" prank-playing, this whole issue with him was what finally exiled me from Clayland. If only they'd tried harder to understand my true intentions, they would've thanked me.

I'd been told to seek the help of a mental professional, and so I did; turns out, they didn't understand, either. No one understands, and no one appreciates clowns and their wiles. No one gets it like you do, Fifi, but oh well. I'll make do with what I got.

From a room over, I swear I just heard a sound, like some kind of yell. Oh dear, I think it might've been Ickybod. Ickybod's been quite emotional as of late, swinging to and from moods like the ol' psychiatrist's orb. It may've made me sleepy, but the dreams were meaningless.

Oh, yes, the psychiatrist. They tried all they could through their countless sessions with me, though it seemed more like they wanted to drag it out as far as possible, to get their money's worth from a mentally unstable clown made from a Playland sign and alien clay goo. When I started to understand that much and made it clear, they wanted to try using electrical pulses on me. I knew that they knew that I knew too much about their business practices, so the corrupt lot wanted to permanently end my sessions with an electrical "accident". Let's just say that I won't be seeing those people anymore, nor will any of their loved ones, actually... Oops, but not really. They had what was coming to them.

The vent above me's making noises now. Hm, I'll investigate soon; it's time for your grooming.

Thank you for always listening, my darling little Fifi.


	4. 3-3

_**3/3**_

With his renewed energy, Icky no longer hesitated, heading straight for the clown in question. He almost felt like he could just take on Bonker himself, but with the plan in mind, he had to relent. Once close to him, Icky noticed what Bonker was doing, sitting on one of the many wrapped gifts with a balloon animal poodle, his back to Icky. Despite the obvious lack of fur, he was brushing the thin rubber with a hairbrush.

"Angry about something, Ickybod?" Out came the somber, high-pitched voice of the clown, not even turning to look at him, "Next time, don't make battle cries so abruptly; it could've given those elves a run for the hills."

"Yes, actually..." Icky ignored the second part of the sentence, answering only to the first, "Icky is-... No, I'm angry about something, yes. I need to have a word with you." Bonker let out a sickening laugh, but still didn't turn.

"My my, talking in first person?" He stated rhetorically as he combed the balloon animal, "Now I _know_ you're being serious. Okay, I'll bite."

"I'm tired of all this, Bonker," Icky began, almost flatly, doing all he could to not break from his act, "All I want is to live in Muddville again, with High Five. I don't want to hurt people for the sake of this mad scientist. I don't want to put up with all this madness anymore, and Bonker... Frankly, I'm tired of your _shit._" Despite these words, Icky completely expected what happened next; Bonker didn't even react.

"Just hang in there, Ickybod," He instead said in a calm tone, "Dr. Kiln will have the world soon enough, and when he does, not even King Tiny can stop you from going to Muddville. And don't forget; we're _all_ getting our ends of the bargain, here. So don't worry about that, and put up with my 'shit' just a little longer, alright?" Although it really looked like Bonker didn't take offense to any of what Icky had said, it was clear to Icky that he had, combing the balloon animal slightly more aggressively than before.

"That's not what I mean...!" Icky rose his voice, backing up a bit to distance himself from the maniacal clown, "What I mean is, Libby, Hoppy and High were all right in rebelling; and my only regret is not leaving like they did when I had the chance! So I think I'll take my leave; better late than never!" There was silence after this, Bonker stopping the brushing entirely at this point.

"Are you certain you feel this way, Ickybod Clay?" Still calm, still collected, still insane. Icky could just tell that Bonker was thinking of at least a hundred ways to murder him, but he couldn't stop now. So he backed up more, just a little, while Bonker continued. "Sure, we did manage to get T-Hoppy under control, but we did lose the hand and the statue... But I won't let you escape. So I think you should think this through; do you want to die more than return to Muddville?"

"You don't scare me, Bonker," Icky quickly retorted, crossing his root arms, "Besides, you can't kill me. I'm already dead, remember?" Although he expected this at this point, it still surprised (and to be honest, frightened) Icky when he saw Bonker's head abruptly rotate a good ninety degrees, staring at him with a manic grin on his features. He didn't stop there, throwing the brush and balloon animal aside and leaping from the large gift, now facing forward. He stared at Icky, blinking slowly in mirth.

"'Undead', Ickybod," Was his response, his tone now cold, heartless. Slowly, he began to approach Icky in his awkward way, while Icky could only float back, his act deteriorating easily. "It's close enough to 'alive'; I've seen cute little bats spill from you. I wonder what else comes out of that body of yours... Little ghosts? Jack-o-Lanterns? Cutesy gravestones?" As Bonker spoke of these things, his manic expression only became more sinister, a horrid thought coming to mind. "But I guess you're right in one way; you're not easy to kill, because you throw your head at things all the time! How about instead, I bake as many pies as I want _out of your unlimited spawning heads?_" Whatever Bonker would've said next was cut off, the both of them pausing when the vent from above tore open, a war cry being let out directly afterward. Bonker had no time to react, having his face kicked in by a yellow taffy foot. With the momentum, the body attached to that foot sprang off Bonker's face, backwards somersaulting once before landing in front of Icky.

"Wow..." Taffy began afterwards, watching as Bonker got back up from falling, "Icky sure wasn't kiddin' when he said ya were nuts. But yer not; yer completely off yer rocker!" A look of genuine surprise overcame Bonker when he recognized that voice, then the person in front of him, and in reaction, Taffy simply smirked, putting his hands on his hips. "Yeah, didn't expect to be seein' me again, didja Bonker? Oh, and, by the way, _I_ was the one who made that yellin' noise, not Icky."

"You again..." Bonker seemed to seethe at first, before beginning to chuckle in a disturbing fashion, "Oh, now I see what's going on. Ickybod, I'll forgive you this one time, but only if you stop listening to the candy freak. Poor Ickybod, don't you remember? Isn't _he_ the rotten thing who caused your exile?"

"No I wasn't, so shaddap!" Taffy immediately went on defense, although kept his cool, "And I'll tell ya what's rotten. Implyin' that yer better than everyone else, upstagin' me effortlessly when I had to work hard to get where I was, and bullin' me just 'cause I did somethin' different, and for how I feel. So, I have more than enough reason to beat ya to a pulp, if only for payback from all yer bullshit!"

"You can't possibly be serious," Bonker hadn't fazed in the least bit, and instead, seemed amused by Taffy standing up to him, "I admire your change of spirit, but remember; that first match you had was just dumb luck. In fact, I think you're just as worthless in the arena as you were under the Big Top..." He paused here, relishing in what he was going to say next, knowing for sure it'd eat away at Taffy's mind, "If a simple chest impalement is enough to mortally wound you, then I won't have any trouble... Finishing the job."

That statement made Icky's hand cover his mouth in shock, not expecting Bonker to have been so insensitive; then again, Bonker was no longer in a rational state of mind, and hasn't been in a long time now. As for Taffy, he'd frozen completely, one of his own hands resting above the chest scar for a moment, before becoming resolute. A crimson rage filled his candy heart, and it took all of Taffy's willpower to not change his stance, proceeding to crack his knuckles.

"Why don't ya prove it, then?" He then stated boldly, before making a battle pose, "The Clown versus the Taffyman. Icky, ya might wanna find somewhere to sit, because this'll be the biggest Act yet!" Icky did what he was told, floating away from the two of them, sitting on the biggest wrapped present in the room instead, which was about twice his total height. Then, to Bonker once more, Taffy continued, "If ya really think it's worth torturing Icky for eternity, then you'll have to kill me first, got that?"

"That can be arranged..." Bonker muttered, his manic expression changing into one of assertive confidence, "I wonder how lemon and pumpkin would taste together. Only one way to find out!" Seemingly out of nowhere, Bonker pulled out a large, wooden mallet, carrying it in both his gloved hands. In response, Taffy didn't pull out anything, simply cementing his stance. A few agonizing moments passed, as if both of them were waiting for the other to charge, and neither wanted to be the first to do it.

"Yer move, Clown," Taffy uttered soon afterward, breaking the silence. "I'm _waitin'!_"

"Why don't you go first?" Was Bonker's reply, having a snicker in his tone, "You're the more reckless one, so it's unlike you to hold back." Taffy scoffed from the remark, not wanting to admit that he was right, however. Instead, he used one of his fingers to pull down his lower eyelid, sticking his tongue out. He didn't say anything, but it wasn't necessary, Bonker taking the initiative and dashing forward. Taffy relented, satisfied, ready once more to fight.

"Alright, that's more like it!" He called out, and when Bonker began to strike with his mallet, Taffy blocked the attack, to Bonker's complete surprise. Again and again he tried breaking the block, but all was futile. It quickly made Bonker angry, and through that, Taffy struck with a harsh kick, followed by other weaker punches and kicks to get a flow going. However, Bonker managed to break out of the combo, one whack of the mallet pushing Taffy to the side, only to see him roll back into a standing position.

This time, it was Taffy's turn to attack, not needing to rush forward and instead slinging one of his own hands at Bonker, the hit leaving him unprepared and only forced to block. When it came back the second time however, Bonker took hold of it, before pulling quickly, flinging Taffy toward him. Dropping the mallet, he used both hands to repeatedly slam Taffy into the ground, before the momentum was used to toss him away. As Taffy landed in a disoriented heap, Bonker wasted no more time, yelling out "Get 'em, Fifi!". To the surprise of Icky (and possibly Taffy), the balloon animal poodle rose from where it lay, letting out a deep snarl and charging for the still laying Taffy. Hearing this, Taffy quickly got to his feet, managing to leap over the balloon canine before it could nip his ankles, throwing a gumball at it that surprisingly popped the animal.

Taffy didn't stop there, using what he had to stretch himself into a wheel, hurtling toward Bonker with a "Sugar Rush!" In his panic of the events just before, Bonker didn't have the time to block this move, being run right over. The impact slowed Taffy enough to return to normal, not hesitating to turn to face his opponent.

"What the Hell?" Bonker had to exclaim from the sight as he got up once more, facing Taffy with a look of hatred on his features, "So, you weren't just talk after all. This'll be interesting..." Taffy didn't answer him, instead running forward again, preparing for another attack, but this time, it was one that Bonker was able to recognize. Quick as a blink, Taffy wound himself up tight, leaping again and letting go. His limbs unfurled from the twist, all four of them wildly spinning. Bonker lept away from this, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to evade all four limbs of Taffy, it only sucking him in and landing hit after painful hit.

Bonker fell to the floor when it was over, Taffy admittedly dizzy after that experience, even now still not completely honed in that skill. Unfortunately for him, this was the chance Bonker needed, getting up and preparing his own move - one that he was sure would catch Taffy off guard. When in position, he promptly rolled toward Taffy, before ramming his outrageously large foot right against him.

"Ferris Wheel!" Since the candy ClayFighter was already dizzy, he quickly fell from the impact, but Bonker wasn't finished. Standing again to perform his next trick with his insane grin returning to his face, he raised his leg, spinning his body, all with a yell of "Merry-go-CLOWN!" Right at the word 'clown', his foot collided with Taffy again, this time sending him involuntarily rolling across the room. Once the rolling had quit, Bonker couldn't help but let out a laugh of mirth, but it didn't last as Taffy got right back up, still not calling it quits. Instead of charging again, however, his hand morphed something into it - the yellow revolver from before.

"Even _now,_ yer copyin' me!" Taffy yelled out in anger, holding the revolver in both his hands and firing away. Bonker thought quickly, running from Taffy's aim, using his mallet to block the bullets as well as he could.

"If anything, you're the copier!" Bonker retorted, pausing when the rounds ceased, only to take off again when Taffy reloaded. Instead of staying back, however, Taffy gave chase this time, being a little more careful on using his ammo. "Where'd a piece of _candy_ get something like that, anyway?!"

"Like it, eh?" Taffy smirked, but saw right through the clown's intentions and shaking his head, "Oh, no ya don't; this is one thing you'll never be able to top! Get back here!" Bonker managed to loop around, hiding behind one of the large gifts, pants being his only noise, though he was sure to keep them as silent as possible. The firing sounds stopped, the factory becoming oddly silent. "Yer ass is mine, Bonker; now fight me like a ClayFighter!"

"I intend to," Bonker muttered, gripping his mallet tight, waiting for the right moment to exact counter measures. When Taffy had come close enough, Bonker let out a battle cry, striking his mallet again, intending to disarm Taffy. It did more than that, however; in the strength put into the blow, the revolver wasn't the only thing that was removed.

Taffy's right hand went with it, still gripping the trigger and all.

From his seat, Icky had to put both of his stick-like root hands over his mouth, almost not believing the sight he was witnessing, as well as the spillit-curdled scream that followed. Bonker didn't seem to care, in fact the pain given enhancing him in a way, dropping his mallet briefly to perform one last move before the finale - A move he called, "Big Top!" The already distressed and distracted Taffy held no defense as the move caused him to be knocked back a good twelve feet. Red candy spillits made a trail, one that Bonker had no qualms with walking over, the weight of his steps crushing the cherry suckers and regular peppermints.

_My... My hand... My HAND! _Was all that would run through Taffy's mind, the pain being more than he could bear, _It's GONE...! Oh God, it hurts...! N-Not this again, no...!_ It'd been a long time since he saw this exact thing; just seeing the way his candy spillits flooding out like a waterfall was already making him feel faint. Thus, despite more pain being brought upon himself, he used his only other hand to cover what was left of his wrist, in attempt to slow the spillit flow. He grit his teeth tightly together, doing all he could to resist tearing up.

"Interesting, but not impressive," Bonker smirked with arrogance, watching as Taffy eventually tried to get up again, seeing it purely as a pathetic sight, "Getting dizzy over a simple spinning move? Relying on a gun when out of tricks? Well, that's what everyone'd come to expect from seeing a candy do a clown's job." As Bonker continued to saunter over to where Taffy was, Icky almost immediately got up from his seat, wanting to rush over and stop the fight like in the past, but forced himself to sit back down, wishing that there was something he could do.

_Believe in him, Icky,_ He thought to himself, being sure it was only to himself this time, _You must believe in him..._

Taffy was on his knees by the time Bonker was a few feet from him, and truth be told, he honestly wasn't sure how much longer he could take both of Bonker's physical and verbal abuse. Although it was true that the amount of time he was lasting now was a vast improvement, he couldn't deny the awful truth that he could break at any time. Thus, he willed himself to stay afar, lest he get caught up in worse injury.

"Candy isn't made for entertainment," Bonker simply continued on as he took his hat off, reaching inside and somehow pulling out an explosive barrel with a fusebox, "Nor for fighting, apparently. Since you never listened to me the first time, Taffy, let me say it again before I blow you to bits." One look at these objects quickly made Taffy's mind go into overdrive, desperately thinking of a means of avoiding this outcome. Yet, what could he do with a non-dominant left hand, all the while constantly being reminded of his right being severed?

"Don't-Don't touch me!" He stubbornly cried out as Bonker painfully gripped his eyestalk, dragging him to the barrel and throwing him inside. "I'm not through ye-!" He cut off with another yell of pain, though Bonker only cared in the fact that it brought joy to his twisted mind, readying the fusebox. Bonker came back with the barrel's lid, but before putting it over the top, he spoke once again.

"Candy is made to be eaten," Was all he said before blocking out Taffy's sight, everything going dark. As much as those words haunted him, Taffy had his focus on other things.

_I'm going-I'm gonna die if I don't do somethin' quick! _He yelled in his mind, frantically thinking about what to do, before he abruptly stopped, smelling something... Sweet? Forcing himself to release his wrist, he felt around the barrel, until he found what he was looking for.

"Ickybod, want to count down from ten to zero?" Bonker mockingly called out, a small pause ensuing, before he continued, "No? Fine, I will. Ten..." Taffy didn't even hesitate at this point, fumbling painfully to get the bag of pop rocks open, using his feet to hold it in place, before a satisfying noise of plastic tearing alerted him that he'd pulled through. He stuffed as much of the candy into his mouth as he could, before proceeding to do the same process with the can of soda.

"Five... Four... Three..."

_Room temperature, but it'll have to do!_ Taffy thought in resignation, hearing the can open, fizzing slightly. The result of him chugging the drink was anything but clean; in fact, some of the pop rocks had never made it into his mouth, but no matter. _Cuttin' it close, aren't I? Here goes nothin'!_

Moments later, time itself seemed to freeze, Taffy no longer hearing anything. He didn't let this stop him, using his only fist to punch the lid off the barrel, using his legs as a large spring as he jumped right out. The lid must've flown until it hit against the ceiling, but that didn't matter to Taffy. From what he could see, Bonker was looking like an utter maniac, while Icky sat there from where he was, horrified and... In tears. Taffy could only imagine this to be a possible outcome, where he failed. _Can't have that happenin',_ He thought to himself, racing forward despite his throbbing wrist, finding just where his revolver (and hand) lay.

He didn't really expect this to work, but was surprised when, after slamming the wrist against the severed hand, both ends joined together once more, as if nothing was amiss. He simply blamed it on the pop rocks soda combo and proudly gripped his revolver. After this, Taffy made a mad dash toward Bonker, knocking him away from the fusebox and proceeding to do what was, under normal circumstances, said to be a myth.

The many times he was able to hit and use his skills on Bonker could only equal to the legendary Insane Combo.

With his last hit as an uppercut, the contents of the pop rocks and soda had been swallowed, time quickly resetting to normal. The lid fell and landed promptly afterward, while Bonker was sent flying through the air, before crash landing. Bonker tried to get up, but to no avail, his widened eyes darting around and only able to wonder what happened so suddenly. With even more surprise, he actually _gasped_ when he saw Taffy directly in front of him, arms crossed with a furious expression. In no condition to get up, Taffy took this chance to come closer, pulling Bonker up by the front of his top, looking him right in the eyes.

"Like Icky said before," Taffy spoke quietly, but this didn't hide a smidgen of his anger, "I'm tired of yer _shit_, Bonker. Yer smug, better-than-everyone-else jig is up. Do ya finally see what a piece of _taffy_ can do to a clown?" When his only response was a frantic nod, Taffy continued, "Good, 'cause I'm not showin' ya again. Come on Icky, let's get outta here; I'm beat." He'd dropped the insane clown to the floor, heading off to where Icky was still seated as the poltergeist practically glomped the candy ClayFighter, while Taffy was left to coax him.

"Hey, hey," Taffy was saying, while Icky bawled, "I said it was gonna be okay..."

"B-But your HAND came off and...! He put you in his barrel and he was...! How'd you even get out?!"

"A Candy ClayFighter should _always_ have pop rocks and soda on hand, in case of emergencies. Remember?"

"_That's_ why?"

"Mm-hmm."

By this time, Bonker managed to stand again, hate filling his being as he retrieved his mallet. _I, for one, will NOT be shown up by a piece of CANDY!_ Right after this thought, he charged, lifting his mallet high. _This time, I'll FORCE THOSE TWO MOTHERFUCKERS TO BOW TO ME!_ He was unable to hold back a mad, loud chortle as he neared, but it was enough to alert them, with Taffy pushing Icky aside and Icky quickly teleporting to afar. Taffy quickly dodged the strike of the mallet, while Bonker only lifted his mallet again.

"Still not done, are ya?!" Taffy said in irritation, "Dammit, what's it gonna take to- wait." He'd paused as a small feeling of deja vu overcame him, though he was quickly able to recognize where it came from.

"STOP CLOWNING AROUND, THAT'S MY JOB!" Bonker only replied in rage, having lost the last bit of sanity he had, "NOW BOW TO ME, CANDY FREAK! I'M THE REAL FUCKING RINGMASTER AROUND HERE!"

"Not a chance!" Taffy retorted, dodging the mallet one more time before reaching out and taking it from him, throwing it aside. When Bonker only attempted one of his skills again, that's when something triggered in Taffy's mind.

"That's it!" Was his cry, and to the surprise of Bonker and Icky, from Taffy emerged _another_ Taffy, now having one in front of and the other behind Bonker. The Taffy behind Bonker didn't waste a second, grappling Bonker with an arm and a leg, punching him once with his other arm. Directly afterward, the Taffy in front did the same, before he pulled out his revolver again, pointing it to Bonker's head.

"Any last words?" Both Taffies spoke in unison, while Icky looked away, not wanting to see how this would end.

"I hope you CHOKE on my jokes...!" Bonker spat with a sneer in his tone, to which the Taffy in back rolled his eyes. It was strange, seeing himself do what he would've wanted to at that exact moment, but the front Taffy didn't let it distract him while the one in back seemed to release Bonker, though not entirely. The front Taffy sternly aimed.

"Here it comes!" Both Taffies spoke again in unison, the revolver firing once before Bonker fell to the ground on his front. Their celebration, if one could call it that, was mild; exchanging a high-five that merged the two Taffies together into one. After a few moments, he seemed confused, not aware at all as to how he'd just accomplished _cloning_ himself, even if briefly. He shrugged afterward, figuring it was just more of the spur-of-the-moment luck that he seemed to always have.

_I guess my first match _was_ pure luck,_ He idly thought to himself, looking upon the now seemingly deceased Bonker, a tiny part of him hoping that he'd missed a vital spot, before turning away to unite with Icky. Right off the bat, he understood the way Icky refused to look him in the eyes. Taffy sighed with a frown.

"I know, Icky," He spoke soon after, rubbing his arm with the other's hand, "I didn't want to do it, but I had no other choice. He had to be stopped, especially since he completely lost it. There was no other way, Icky... And if I sounded joyful about doing any of that, I... I really wasn't." To his shock, Icky finally was able to look at him, floating forward and embracing his taffy body.

"Icky understands," Icky replied, his tone soft and quiet, "But... How were you not scared at all this whole time?! You fought him like it was just... A friendly spar; nothing serious or life-threatening!"

"Are you serious?" Taffy responded in his shock, though had to admit that it wasn't obvious. "I was _terrified! _I was _scared_ that his balloon poodle was gonna nip my feet off, I was _afraid_ that his Merry-go-Wheel whatever they were was gonna completely outdo my skills, and... Most of all, I was _terrified_ to lose. Not just that I'd let you down, let everyone else down, but I'd also let myself down. Gettin' back at Bonker was a goal of mine for a long time, and to fail... I don't think I could live with myself if that happened. Now..." He paused after a bit, deciding to change the topic before Icky could react with possible questions.

"Let's not think 'bout that," Taffy began again, holding his friend in return and shutting his eyes. "I'm just glad it's over, and we're both okay, just like I promised." After a bit longer, the two pulled away, Taffy reopening his eyes. "As I was sayin' before, let's get outta here. There's a mansion I wanna tour of, if yer up for it!"

"What about the candy factory?" Icky inquired, wiping his face dry as the last of his emotional outbursts subsided. Taffy waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Don't worry 'bout that," He replied with a small chuckle, "I got us plenty of rations for a month! Speakin' of which..." He pulled out a box of Sour Patch Kids, showing it to Icky, "I'm feelin' a bit low, so boo-yeah!" As the two headed out of the factories and Taffy opened up the box, Icky noticed one of the flavors out of the four - lemon.

"May Icky try the yellow one?" He asked as casually as possible, but Taffy, being Taffy, noticed the intent right away, smirking while handing him a piece.

"Me, in taste form," Taffy replied, by now the two of them out in the courtyard again, and noticing the flipped over bench from before. Taffy paused to look, before setting it back upright, then continuing on with Icky. Meanwhile, Icky popped the candy in his mouth, before it puckered from the sour.

"_That's_ you?!" Icky couldn't help but exclaim from it all, "How do you even deal with all this- Great Ethereal Plane, you're _really-!_" Seeing his reaction, Taffy couldn't help but laugh, popping a lemon kid in his mouth to compare, not reacting much. "How can you just _stand there_ and not feel anything?!"

"I _am_ sour myself, after all," Taffy said with a light shrug, "I can still taste it, but I guess I'm just more immune to its effects. Kinda like how I never go through a sugar rush and crash."

"Winning that Warheads challenge wouldn't even be fair, then," Icky concluded, managing to swallow down the sour candy with a relieved sigh. Thinking about that, Taffy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, better let the Humans deal with it," He said in response. Afterward, Icky thought of something that he should've said sooner.

"Taffy?"

"Yeah, Icky?"

"Thanks for everything," Icky continued, before saying in assurance, "Icky can deal with everyone else, now. So, thank you, Taffy."

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" Taffy replied in a humble fashion, "I figured that if anyone was givin' ya the spooks, I'd just fix that right up with a good butt-kickin'. Anythin' to be able to have my best friend back in Muddville, the way we both want it. Oh, and about friends..." Taffy paused both in step and voice, Icky turning to look at him in curiosity. "Ya need to introduce me to High Five." At this, Icky beamed in realization.

"Yes, that's right!" He spoke, taking Taffy by his empty hand and dragging him off in a much quicker pace. "We must find him at once! I want him to be my co-tour guide!" When Icky let out his happy but scary-sounding laugh, Taffy simply chuckled.

"Sure, whatever ya want!"


End file.
